Animated-picture apparatus.



H. N. MARVIN.

ANIMATED PIGTURE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB.7,1904.

1,021,060. Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

Fig.1

Wifnesses: 4%,, 71M lnv'en iom To all whom it may concern to theadjacent apparatus.

V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. RAB-RY N. MARVIN, 0F CANASTOTA, NEW YOBK, ASSIGNOR, BY- MIBNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO BIOGRAIH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK,N. Y., A CORPORATION J'EfBgSEY.

ANIMATED-PICTURE APP ABLLTUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, A Application med March 7,1904. Serial No. 196,820;

Be .it known that I, HARRY N. MARVIN, a citizen of the United States,residing at .Canastota, in the county of Madison and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Animated- PictureApparatus, of which the following "is a specification, reference beinghad to the drawing accompanying and forming part of the same.

My invention relates to consecutive view apparatus of the kind in whicha strip or band, bearing pictures of successive phases of an object inmotion, is made to pass through the field of a projecting system,whereby the pictures, following each other in sufliciently rapidsuccession, produce the illusion or appearance of an ob ect 1n motion.

The picture-bearing band or strip is usually made of celluloid orsimilar inaterial, so as to be both transparent and flexible. Suchmaterials, however, are highly inflammable, and it is difficult toarrest combustion once started therein. The source of light commonlyused in the projectingapparatus is the electric are or a refractoryhappens that the picture-bearing band is 'ignited. Considerable damageto the band may result, accompanied by serious injury It is also a"source of danger when the apparatus is :used in crowded theaters orauditoriums not only from the liability of igniting nearby "objects oraccessories, but also on account of the alarm. or panic which might beoccasioned among the spectators by even a harmless blaze.

I have therefore been led to devise the present invention which has forits object to provide means for confining the burning of the band to acom aratively small section thereof, and to extinguish the fire when itwould spread to other parts thereof. The

flectors of the optical system, is most intense at that point, and-forvthe reason that the carrying and feeding dev ces are usually light so asto keep the greater part of the Patented Mar. 26,1912.

located some distance from the source of V band as far from the sourceof heat as possible. I posite sides of the optical 'axis for prevent ingthe fire from spreading, and I illustrate herein several embodiments ,ofthis broad therefore provide devices on op-' idea. 'For example, I havefound that by causing the band to pass through a rather closely fittingchute or guide on each side i to be carried into one of the chutes andthere extinguished before the fire has had time to spread or do morethan slight damage.

7 Of the invention itself, which consists of the novel features andcombinations hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe claims, the convenient embodiment mentioned is shown in theaccompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is'a diagrammatic side view ofthe preferred form, and Fig. 2 a section on line 'IIII, Fig. 1.

In the apparatus shown in the drawing, 1 represents a roll of thepicture-bearing band or film, 2. I

3 is a take-up roll, and 4c, 5, sprocket over which the film passes.

6 represents a rotating device for feed- 'ing the film intermittently,and 7, 8, 9, represent lenses constituting the optical projecting systemof the apparatus, projecting a beam of light from a source not shown.

The nature of the feeding devices, the projecting system, and othermechanical features of the apparatus are of course immaterial to thepresent invention, and may be of any convenient or suitable character.

The devices for extinguishing fire in the film are shown in Fig. 1, at10, 11. In the embjodimenthere illustrated they consist of flatfopenended chutes or guides, preferably of-metal, through which the film orband passes. They are preferably two in num ber, arranged one on eachside of the path of the projecting rays, as shown in Fig. 1. In order toprovide for ready insertion of when the band is in use the rapid motionofthe same will usually cause the ignited part I the film therein, oneside, as 12, of each chute may be hinged, as'shown in the detallsectional view, Fig. 2, with any guitable device to positively hold thesame in closed position, as for example, a sprin clasp 13. As beforestated, the function 0 'thechute or chutes is to arrest combustion inthe film. If from any cause the band should take fire, as for example,between the chutes, 10, 11, the fire will be extinguished when the samereaches, or passes into, a chute. When the band is in rapid motion theburning part would probably be drawn lnto the chute and the fireextinguished before the band is seriouslyv damaged, and in any case, aswhen the band is stationary, the fire will be extinguished by the chuteor chutes when the same are reached, and therefore will not spreadbeyond the chute or chutes to other parts of the film.

The precise way in which the combustion is arrested by the tubes orchutes does not appear to be always the same. Sometimes theextinguishing appears to be caused by an action analogous to amechanical blowing-out of the fire, as if due to a slight ex-. plosionin or at the mouth of the tube. At other times the fire appears tosmolder a short distance within the tube, and then to be smothered, asif by ashes, or gaseous products of combustion. These differences may bedue to difi'erences in various specimens of film used, but I have notfound a film in which the combustion will not bev arrested. This resultis quite unexpected, as it isunderstood that celluloid, of which thefilms are usually made, will, from the nature of its chemicalcomposition, burn in a confined space, even without access of oxygen;and it is therefore probable that the action here, in extinguishing thefire, is largely mechanical. The best results have been secured withchutes or tubes about three inches long and three-sixteenths of an inchthick, arranged substantially horizontal, or parallel with the path ofthe projecting rays, but the size may of course be varied, as well asthe precise location of the parts.

What I claim is:

ting means and illuminating means for the film, of fire extinguishingmeans for said film, comprising solely a casing having an open endedpassageway of suificient size to same.

3. As an article of manufacture, a flame extinguisher forpicture-producing films,

surrounding casing having an open-ended passageway of sufiicient size topermit the free movement of the film therethrough, but sufficientlyconstricted to automatically extinguish the flames of a burning filmthat extends into said passageway.

4. As an article of manufacture, a flameextinguisher forpicture-producing films, comprising solely a fireproof film-surroundingcasing having an open-ended passage way of suflicient size to permit thefree movement of the film therethrough, but sufficientlyconstricted toautomatically extinguish the flames of a burning film that extends intothe passage way, said casing having one of its sides hinged to permitready insertion of the film.

. HARRY N. MARVIN.

Witnesses:

H. J. COLLINS,

HOWARD F. KEELER.

permit the free passage of the film but suifi-' flames of a burning filmthat enters the comprising exclusively, a fire-proof film 1. Thecombination with film-transmit-

